Summary

This one volume anthology explores the last two hundred years of Science Fiction and Fantasyfeaturing women and men authors of various ethnic backgrounds, and a range of both traditional canonical literature and popular culture. Designed to heighten interest in a fun and exciting topic, this book will lead readers to meaningful intellectual, social, and historic investigations.Contributing authors include Mary W. Shelly, Edgar Allen Poe, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Charles Dickens, Louisa May Alcott, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Bram Stoker, Stephen King, J.R.R. Tolkien, Jules Verne, Jack London, Ray Bradbury, and Kurt Vonnegut.For fans of science fiction, fantasy, and the stories presented here, who appreciate that they represent the best of humanity, and include potential warnings for where humanity is headed.

Author Biography

GARYN G. ROBERTS, Ph.D., is the chair of the Communications/English Discipline of Northwestern Michigan College (Traverse City, Michigan). He was born and raised in Wisconsin, home of Stanley G. Weinbaum and the Milwaukee Fictioneers, August Derleth and Arkham House, Robert Bloch, Fredric Brown, Clifford Simak, Alice Sheldon (aka James Tiptree Jr.), and Peter Straub, and north of the land of Chester Gould's Dick Tracy and Ray Bradbury's Greentown, Illinois.

Roberts received his B.B.A. in Marketing from the University of Wisconsin, Whitewater in 1981, his M.A. in Popular Culture Studies and Ph.D. in American Culture Studies (with emphases in English, History, and Sociology) from Bowling Green State University, Ohio, in 1983 and 1986 respectively. From 1986 to 1987, he taught in the English Department at Mankato State University, Minnesota; from 1987 to 1994, he taught in the American Thought and Language Department at Michigan State University; and in 1994, he joined the faculty at Northwestern Michigan College.

Beyond his family and friends (colleagues and students included), Dr. Roberts's loves and passions include Chester Gould's Dick Tracy, the writings and creative works of Robert Bloch and Ray Bradbury, the detailed and invaluable histories and scholarship of Sam Moskowitz, dime novels and related nineteenth-century fiction, the "pulps," classic newspaper comic strips, old movies, old radio, Big Little Books, comic books, paperback books, old TV, and other related forms of popular fiction and popular media.

Roberts is the author and editor of several books and a range of book chapters, articles, and literary dictionary entries. Subject matter of these includes, in part, dime novels, pulp magazines, 1950s Science Fiction invasion movies, pulp magazine editors Hugo Gernsback and Joseph T. Shaw, Jack London, Stephen King, Anne Rice, and Dean Kootz. In 1994, Roberts received an Edgar (Allan Poe) Award nomination in the "Best Critical/Biographical" category from the Mystery Writers of America for DICK TRACY AND AMERICAN CULTURE: MORALITY AND MYTHOLOGY, TEXT AND CONTEXT (McFarland, 1993). Currently, he is working on book-length tributes to Chester Gould, Robert Bloch, and Ray Bradbury.

Foreword

Jack Williamson

Preface

Introduction: Stories for the Millennium: Science Fiction and Fantasy as Contemporary Mythology

(6)

SECTION ONE TWO ARCHETYPAL STORIES

Enduring Traditions of Mary Shelley and Edgar Allan Poe

(24)

``The Mortal Immortal: A Tale'' (Keepsake for MDCCCXXXIV, 1833)

(8)

Mary W. Shelley

``The Fall of the House of Usher'' (Burton's Gentleman's Magazine, September 1839)

(15)

Edgar Allan Poe

SECTION TWO FANTASY

Stories of the Fantastique, Tales of the Quest

(1)

Dark Fantasy

(176)

Edgar Allan Poe, Howard Phillips Lovercraft, and Stephen King---and Traditions Before, Between, and Since

(2)

``Young Goodman Brown'' (New England Magazine, April 1835)

(8)

Nathaniel Hawthorne

``The Old Nurse's Story'' (Christmas number of Household Words, 1852)

(13)

Elizabeth (Cleghorn) Gaskell

``No. 1 Branch Line: The Signalman'' (Mugby Junction: The Extra Christmas Number of All the Year Round, 1866)

(8)

Charles (John Huffam) Dickens

``The Ghost in the Cap'n Brown House'' (Atlantic, vol. 26, no. 158, December 1870)

(7)

Harriet Beecher Stowe

``The Body Snatcher'' (originally published as ``The Body-Snatchers'' in Pall Mall Gazette, Extra Christmas Issue, 1884)

(11)

Robert Louis Stevenson

``The Damned Thing'' (Tales From New York Town Topics, vol. 30, no. 23, December 7, 1893)

(6)

Ambrose Bierce

``Dracula's Guest'' (originally edited from Dracula, 1897)

(8)

Abraham (``Bram'') Stoker

``The Monkey's Paw'' (Harper's Magazine, vol. 105, September 1902)

(7)

W(illiam) W(ymark) Jacobs

``The Colour Out of Space'' (Amazing Stories, September 1927)

101

(19)

H(oward) P(hillips) Lovecraft

``The Three Marked Pennies'' (Weird Tales, August 1934)

120

(5)

M(ary) E(lizabeth) Counselman

``Catnip'' (Weird Tales, March 1948)

125

(9)

Robert Bloch

``The Lottery'' (The New Yorker, June 26, 1948)

134

(6)

Shirley Jackson

``To Serve Man'' (Galaxy, November 1950)

140

(5)

Damon (Francis) Knight

``The Third Level'' (The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, October 1952)

145

(3)

Jack Finney

``The Howling Man'' (as C. B. Lovehill`` for Rogue, November 1959)

148

(10)

Charles Beaumont

``Duel'' (Playboy, April 1971)

158

(16)

Richard (Burton) Matheson

``The Raft'' (Gallery, November 1982)

174

(19)

Stephen (Edwin) King

``Nightcrawlers'' (Masques, edited by J. N. Williamson, 1984)

193

(14)

Robert R(ichard) McCammon

High Fantasy

207

(136)

Ancestors and Disciples of Robert E. Howard and J. R. R. Tolkien

207

(1)

``The Gray Wolf'' (Works of Fancy and Imagination, 1871)

208

(4)

George MacDonald

``The People of the Pit'' (All-Story Weekly, January 5, 1918)

212

(12)

A(braham) Merritt

``Friend Island'' (All-Story Weekly, September 7, 1918)

224

(8)

Francis Stevens

Gertrude Barrows Bennet

``The City of Singing Flame'' (Wonder Stories, January and November 1931)

232

(24)

Clark Ashton Smith

``The Tower of the Elephant'' (Weird Tales, March 1933)

256

(16)

Robert E(rvin) Howard

``Riddles in the Dark'' (from The Hobbit, 1937)

272

(11)

J(ohn) R(onald) R(euel)

``Smoke Ghost'' (Unknown Worlds, October 1941)

283

(11)

Fritz (Reuter) Leiber Jr.

``The Strange Drug of Doctor Caber'' (The Fourth Book of Jorkens, 1948)

294

(3)

Lord Dunsany

Edward John Moreton Drax Plunkett Dunsany

``The Anything Box'' (The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, October 1956)

297

(9)

Zenna (Chlarson) Henderson

``The Drowned Giant'' (Playboy, 1 May 1965)

306

(7)

J(ames) G(raham) Ballard

``Red as Blood'' (The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, July 1979)

313

(7)

Tanith Lee (Kaiine)

``The Malaysian Mer'' (Neptune Rising: Songs and Tales of the Undersea Folk, 1982)

320

(5)

Jane (Hyatt) Yolen

``Troll Bridge'' (Snow White, Rose Red, ed. Ellen Datlow and Terry Windling, 1993)

325

(7)

Neil (Richard) Gaiman

``Thirteen Phantasms'' (Omni Online, October 1996)

332

(11)

James P(aul) Blaylock

SECTION THREE SCIENCE FICTION

Jules Verne, Herbert George Wells, Hugo Gernsback, and the Early Days of Modern Scientifiction

343

(794)

``The Diamond Lens'' (Atlantic Monthly, January 1858)

346

(15)

Fitz-James O'Brien

``The Clock That Went Backward'' (New York Sun, September 18, 1881)

361

(9)

Edward Page Mitchell

``An Express of the Future'' (The Strand Magazine, January 1895)

370

(3)

Jules (Gabriel) Verne

``The Star'' (Graphic, Christmas 1897)

373

(7)

H(erbert) G(eorge) Wells

``The Ray of Displacement'' (The Metropolitan Magazine, October 1903)

380

(10)

Harriet Elizabeth Prescott Spofford

``A Princess of Mars'' (originally published as Under the Moons of Mars by Norman Bean in The All-Story, where the serial began with February 1912 issue and continued through the July 1912 issue)

390

(105)

Edgar Rice Burroughs

``The Eggs from Lake Tanganyika'' (Amazing Stories, July 1926)

495

(6)

Curt Siodmak

``The Fate of the Poseidonia'' (Amazing Stories, June 1927)

501

(14)

Clare Winger Harris

``The Conquest of Gola'' (Wonder Stories, April 1931)

515

(10)

Leslie F(rances) Stone

``Shambleau'' (Weird Tales, November 1933)

525

(19)

C(atherine) L(ucille) Moore

``Doc'' Smith, ``Robot Nemesis'' (originally published as ``What a Course!''---Part 13 (of 17) of ``Cosmos'' Fantasy Magazine, 1934)

544

(12)

E(dward) E(lmer)

``A Martian Odyssey'' (Wonder Stories, July 1934)

556

(18)

Stanley G(rauman) Weinbaum

``Robbie'' (originally published as ``Strange Playfellow'' in Super Science Stories, September 1940)

574

(13)

Isaac Asimov

``Jay Score'' (Astounding Science-Fiction, May 1941)

587

(12)

Eric Frank Russell

``The Weapons Shop'' (Astounding Science-Fiction, December 1942)

599

(27)

A(lfred) E(lton) van Vogt

``Arena'' (Astounding Science-Fiction, July 1944)

626

(18)

Fredric (William) Brown

``Thunder and Roses'' (Astounding Science-Fiction, November 1947)

644

(16)

Theodore Sturgeon

``That Only a Mother'' (Astounding Science-Fiction, June 1948)

660

(7)

Judith Merril

``The Enchantress of Venus'' (Planet Stories, Fall 1949)

667

(42)

Leigh (Douglass) Brackett

``The Long Watch'' (American Legion Magazine, December 1949)

709

(9)

Robert A(nson) Heinlein

``There Will Come Soft Rains'' (The Martian Chronicles, 1950)

718

(5)

Ray(mond Douglas) Bradbury

``Invasion'' (Startling Stories, July 1950)

723

(5)

Frank Belknap Long

``The Harpers of Titan'' (Startling Stories, September 1950)

728

(17)

Edmond (Moore) Hamilton

``The Sentinel'' (originally published as ``Sentinel of Eternity,'' 10 Story Fantasy, Spring 1951)

745

(6)

Arthur C(harles) Clarke

``Pictures Don't Lie'' (Galaxy, August 1951)

751

(12)

Katherine (Anne) MacLean

The Lovers (Starling Stories, August 1952)

763

(53)

Philip Jose Farmer

``Mousetrap'' (The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, June 1954)

816

(5)

Andre Norton

``Fondly Fahrenheit'' (The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, August 1954)

821

(14)

Alfred Bester

``Exiles of Tomorrow'' (Fantastic Universe, March 1955)

835

(4)

Marion Zimmer Bradley

``Dust Rag'' (Astounding Science-Fiction, September 1956)

839

(13)

Hal Clement

Henry Clement Stubbs

``Or All the Sea With Oysters'' (Galaxy, May 1958)

852

(7)

Avram (James) Davidson

``The Store of the Worlds'' (Playboy, September 1959)

859

(5)

Robert Sheckley

``Harrison Bergeron'' (The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, October 1961)

864

(4)

Kurt Vonnegut (Jr.)

``Without a Thought'' (originally published as ``Fortress Ship'' in IF: Science Fiction, January 1963)

868

(7)

Fred(erick Thomas) Saberhagen

``The Fiend'' (Playboy, April 1964)

875

(5)

Frederik Pohl

``We Can Remember It for You Wholesale'' (The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, (April 1966)

880

(14)

P(hilip) K(indred) Dick

``Driftglass'' (IF: Science Fiction, June 1967)

894

(13)

Samuel R(ay) (``Chip'') Delany

``The Jigsaw Man'' (Dangerous Visions, ed. Harlan Ellison, 1967)

907

(8)

Larry Niven

Laurence van Cott Niven

``The Last Flight of Dr. Ain'' (Galaxy, March 1969)

915

(7)

James Tiptree Jr.

Alice Hastings Bradley Sheldon

``Seed Stock'' (Analog: Science Fiction and Science Fact, April 1970)

922

(8)

Frank (Patrick) Herbert

``Roommates'' (In Ruins of Earth: An Anthology of Stories of the Immediate Future, ed. Thomas Disch, 1971)

930

(16)

Harry Harrison

``When It Changed'' (Again, Dangerous Visions, ed. Harlan Ellison, 1972)

946

(5)

Joanna Russ

``The Undercity'' (The Future City, ed. Roger Elwood, 1973)

951

(9)

Dean R(ay) Koontz

``Opening Fire'' (The New Mind, ed. Roger Elwood, 1973)

960

(4)

Barry N(orman) Malzberg

``The Engine at Heartspring's Center'' (Analog: Science Fiction and Science Fact, July 1974)

964

(6)

Roger (Joseph) Zelazny

``Ender's Game'' (Analog: Science Fiction and Science Fact, August 1977)

970

(26)

Orson Scott Card

``Melancholy Elephants'' (Analog: Science Fiction and Science Fact, June 1982)

996

(10)

Spider (Paul) Robinson

``Burning Chrome'' (Omni, July 1982)

1006

(13)

William (Ford) Gibson

``Blood Music'' (Analog: Science Fiction and Science Fact, June 1983)

1019

(16)

Greg(ory Dale) Bear

``Bloodchild'' (Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, June 1984)

1035

(13)

Octavia (Estelle) Butler

``The Plague Star'' (Analog: Science Fiction and Science Fact, January 1985 and February 1985)

1048

(59)

George R(aymond) R(ichard) Martin

``Remaking History'' (What Might Have Been, ed. Gregory Benford and Martin H. Greenberg, 1989)

1107

(9)

Kim Stanley Robinson

``The Purchase of Earth'' (Science Fiction Age, July 1998)

1116

(21)

Jack Williamson

John Stewart Williamson

SECTION FOUR AN HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE

Sam Moskowitz, ``How Science Fiction Got Its Name'' (The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, February 1957)

1127

(10)

SECTION FIVE LISTS AND BIBLIOGRAPHIES

Fantasy and Science Fiction Film and Television

1137

(3)

Fantasy and Science Fiction Radio Series

1140

(1)

Fantasy and Science Fiction Comic Strips and Comic Books

1141

(2)

Fantasy and Science Fiction on the Internet

1143

(1)

Fantasy and Science Fiction Themes, Motifs, and Settings

1144

(2)

Cornerstone Studies and Anthologies of Fantasy and Science Fiction in Print Media

1146

(12)

Cornerstone Studies and Anthologies of Fantasy and Science Fiction in Nonprint Media

1158

(2)

Index

1160

(2)

Credits

1162

Supplemental Materials

What is included with this book?

The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

Excerpts

PREFACE Parameters, or,Amazing StoriesversusWeird Tales, Astounding StoriesversusUnknown WorldsThe stories showcased and analyzed here are "Fantasy" and/or "Science Fiction" written and published in English, or Fantasy and/or Science Fiction translated into and published in English. This book's contents, discussions, and organization are designed to explore the distinctions and similarities between two broadly yet specifically defined genres of fiction--Fantasy and Science Fiction. "Genres," for the purpose of this book, are generally and simply defined as artistic and story categories. Definitions and differences between stories and story genres are important starting points for analysis and appreciation; however, from a larger cultural, anthropological, and sociological perspective, similarities between stories and story forms may be more telling and significant. For the purpose of this book, "society" and "culture" are essentially interchangeable terms, referencing a group of interrelated people tied together by common mythology. A mythology is an all-encompassing narrative/story or a complex of interrelated component stories that serves as cultural definition, religion, reality, and explanation and justification of action. Crossovers between Fantasy and Science Fiction, as well as crossovers between Fantasy, Science Fiction, and other genres, such as Mysteries, Detective Fiction, Westerns, Adventure stories, and more, are explored.Herein, the reader will find a range of ethnicities, mythologies, religions, and perspectives represented. Women writers, women's writing, and female story characters are found throughout this book, since women writers were and are integral parts of Fantasy and Science Fiction (F&SF) history. (An investigation of authors' pseudonyms from the first half of the twentieth century, for example, shows that women were much more a part of F&SF history than previously thought by students of these genres.) It is important to remember that modern F&SF was first articulated, if not begun, by a young woman named Mary Shelley and her archetypal novel,Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus(1818, rev. 1831).With the exception of J. R. R. Tolkien's "Chapter Five: Riddles in the Dark" (1937), all stories reprinted here are complete; even the famed Tolkien sequence, which features Bilbo Baggins and Gollum, stands by itself, outside the larger context of Tolkien's novel, as a complete tale.Many of the authors included in this book have created series F&SF story characters of various sorts and degrees of popular and critical success. At first, the temptation was to feature the best series characters and their best stories, regardless of other considerations, such as story themes. But, if this was to be done, then as good and important as Fritz Leiber's Fahfrd and the Grey Mouser story, "The Bazaar of the Bizarre" (Fantastic,August 1963), are, what may be an even more representative landmark story of Leiber's life achievements and contributions to the genre--"Smoke Ghost" (Unknown Worlds,October 1941)--would have to be excluded. Further, much of the popular success of Leiber's swashbuckling duo is an extension of that enjoyed by Robert E. Howard's more archetypal stories of Conan the Barbarian, such as "The Tower of the Elephant" (Weird Tales,March 1933). With this in mind, the temptation then became to ignore all series characters categorically. This plan would not have been prudent either. "The Tower of the Elephant" is one of Howard's most important contributions to Heroic Fantasy, and to ignore it because it is a Conan story would be as short-sighted as including all series characters and stories without abandon.Other difficult choices needed to be made. The list of great Ray Bradbury stories is extensive, but only one could be chosen. In this case, after much thought, on